Manz refused to back down, accepting a token role – “kid 18” – on the 18-member junior varsity team when realistically only the top 14 ever get a chance to play. When a spot opened up on the frosh/soph lineup, Manz went for it, eager to show she had the chops in the sport she loved.

A year later, Manz vaulted into Redondo’s starting varsity lineup and was a factor in the Sea Hawks’ late surge that propelled them to a second-place finish in the Bay League.

Redondo hosts Lakewood today in a tough first-round CIF Division I-AA match, and Manz will again be at the center of a pivotal match as an embattled middle blocker.

“The first time I was cut, I was bad and I knew it,” Manz said. “But I played the club season and got to know the sport, and the more I played, the more I loved the sport.

“The second time was tough. I thought I was going to be on the JV team. I was bummed. They told me I could be the last kid on the team and never play or be the team manager. I decided I wanted to be part of the team. I took every opportunity to prove myself and show the coaches what I could do.”

Whatever setbacks or embarrassments that came her way, Manz tried to roll with it.

Chaffins said an evaluation from her P.E. teacher was that she was just “an average P.E. student.”

But the ultimate indignity came when Chaffins ran into Manz at his gym. Manz was wearing a club volleyball shirt on her 6-foot-2 frame, and Chaffins couldn’t help but ask what school she was attending.

“Oh, Redondo,” Manz said.

Talk about a reality check.

“That was kind of embarrassing,” Manz said. “I tried not to let it get to me. I knew I was new to the sport. Just because I didn’t get it right away, everyone told me to keep playing with my height. I kept trying. You don’t always succeed the first time, or the second time I guess in my case.”

Lara Dykstra, the lone returner for Redondo and a leader as a sophomore, said Manz is a player who has a beneficial impact.

“She’s very energetic, very spunky and full of energy,” Dykstra said. “She always has such a positive attitude, and she’s a really fun person to play with. She makes me feel good about myself on the court, and she’s just improving so much.

“I respect her so much for continuing to fight for her spot. Most people would’ve given up after the first time, but I consider her a really strong person to come back and play so well.”

Even this season on the varsity squad for Manz has been a challenge.

Manz came out blazing in a scrimmage against Marymount and appeared to lock down a spot in the starting lineup. She completed a massive jump from frosh/soph to varsity starter, a feat Chaffins said no one else had accomplished at Redondo, at least in the last six years.

But after a poor performance against Peninsula, Chaffins yanked her out of the lineup.

By the time the rematch with Peninsula came, Manz had worked her way back into the lineup, and the Sea Hawks took off from that point.

“We realized that Arielle needed to start,” Chaffins said. “Her high-end potential is strong, and she adds to the central core of energy during dead time. She’s a good teammate, and the others feed off her positive attitude.

“Her teammates have said Arielle makes them feel good on the court, and that’s one of the best compliments you can receive in volleyball.”

Chaffins might be harder on Manz than he is with his other players because he said she has the most untapped potential.

At one point this season, Chaffins said he yelled to her: “If you want a college scholarship, you need to listen to your coaches. You can do it.”

She is already drawing interest from Cal State Fullerton as a junior.

Chaffins also was able to use photos from the Daily Breeze Web site to illustrate technique. In a match against South Torrance, the camera captured Manz going up for a block with her hands criss-crossed, a big no-no in volleyball. And he let her know about it.

Then in a five-game win over Palos Verdes last week, the camera got Manz again, this time with perfect technique.

“She wants to get better, and she really tries to exaggerate whatever technique the coaches ask her to do,” Chaffins said. “Whatever we ask her, she gets it done the next time. It doesn’t take five or six times with her. That’s a credit to her intelligence and her volleyball IQ.”

Chaffins said he looks for players like Manz, to see if they come back into the program after being cut. Brittany Price from last season’s team was a prime example of that.

“There’s a part of me who really coaches for that kid, not just the superstars,” Chaffins said. “We try not to crush them if we have to cut them. If there’s any chance of keeping a kid like that, I always try. It’s great persistence on their part and shows great character and heart.”

Manz said she thrives on the pressure of playing for Redondo.

“It’s hard on our team because we’re so competitive, so our spot is never secure,” Manz said. “It can be taken away by a teammate, a friend, at any point.

“You just have to have fun on the court. If you’re too uptight or down, you’re going to bring everyone else down. Me and Jess Doerner try to make the best of it. If you’re not having fun, why are you even here? I’m just so glad I never quit. I love this team, the chemistry and the sport.”

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